"sensation, and was much courted in the "literary as well as the political world. On "the supposition of her being a Liberal, she 66 was invited to a party, where were present "Whitbread, Sheridan, and several of the "Opposition leaders. 66 "To the great horror of the former, she soon sported her Ultraisms. No one pos"sessed so little tact as Madame de Staël,"which is astonishing in one who had seen "so much of the world and of society. She "used to assemble at her routs politicians "of both sides of the House, and was fond "of setting two party-men by the ears in 66 argument. I once witnessed a curious 66 scene of this kind. She was battling it 66 66 very warmly, as she used to do, with Canning, and all at once turned round to (I think he said) Lord Grey, who was at "his elbow, for his opinion. It was on some 66 66 point upon which he could not but most cordially disagree. She did not under"stand London society, and was always 66 sighing for her coterie at Paris. The "dandies took an invincible dislike to the "De Staëls, mother and daughter. Brum"mell was her aversion;-she, his. There "was a double marriage talked of in town "that season:--Auguste (the present Baron) 66 was to have married Miss Milbanke; I, the present Duchess of Broglie. I could not "have been worse embroiled. 66 "Madame de Staël had great talent in "conversation, and an overpowering flow of "words. It was once said of a large party "that were all trying to shine, 'There is "not one who can go home and think.' "This was not the case with her. She was "often troublesome, some thought rude, in "her questions; but she never offended me, "because I knew that her inquisitiveness "did not proceed from idle curiosity, but "from a wish to sound people's characters. "She was a continual interrogatory to me, "in order to fathom mine, which requires a 66 long plumb-line. She once asked me if 66 my real character was well drawn in a fa"vourite novel of the day (Glenarvon.") "She was only singular in putting the 66 question in the dry way she did. There "are many who pin their faith on that in"sincere production. "No woman had so much bonne foi as "Madame de Staël: hers was a real kind 66 ness of heart. She took the greatest pos"sible interest in my quarrel with Lady 66 Byron, or rather Lady Byron's with me, "and had some influence over my wife,-as "much as any person but her mother, which "is not saying much. I believe Madame "de Staël did her utmost to bring about a "reconciliation between us. She was the best 66 creature in the world. "Women never see consequences-never "look at things straight forward, or as they "ought. Like figurantes at the Opera, they "make a hundred pirouettes, and return to "where they set out. With Madame de "Staël this was sometimes the case. She 66 was very indefinite and vague in her "manner of expression. In endeavouring 66 to be new she became often obscure, and "sometimes unintelligible. What did she "mean by saying that 66 system, and not a man?' 66 Napoleon was a "I cannot believe that Napoleon was ac quainted with all the petty persecutions "which she used to be so garrulous about, 66 or that he deemed her of sufficient import 66 ance to be dangerous: besides, she admired "him so much, that he might have gained "her over by a word. 66 perhaps too great a But, like me, he had contempt for women; "he treated them as puppets, and thought "he could make them dance at any time by 66 66 66 pulling the wires. That story of Gardez vos enfans' did not tell much in her fa vour, and proves what I say. I shall be "curious to see Las Cases' book, to hear "what Napoleon's real conduct to her was." I told him I could never reconcile the contradictory opinions he had expressed of Napoleon in his poems. "How could it be otherwise ?" said he. "Some of them were called translations, and "I spoke in the character of a Frenchman "and a soldier. But Napoleon was his own "antithesis (if I may say so.) He was a 66 66 glorious tyrant, after all. Look at his public works: compare his face, even on |